>> announcer: this is "early today" for thursday, november 29th, 2012. good morning, everyone. inld i'm lynn berry, and let's start with breaking news. two winning powerball tickets were sold in last night's drawing with an astonishing jackpot of nearly $580 million. the tickets had all six out of six were sold in arizona and missouri. let's get right to those winning numbers. 5, 16, 22, 23, 29 and the magical powerball of 6. but that's not all. there were 58 tickets nationwide that had at least five numbers right. they'll each get $1 million. not bad. tickets sold wednesday at a rate 130,000 a ticket. nearly 9 million people won smaller prizes, but now the search is on for the two big ticket holders whose lives are about to change forever. there's an understatement for you. well, right now, the west

coast is gearing up for a new series of powerful storms this week, so nbc's meteorologist dylan dreyer is down on the plaza with more on that. good morning, dylan. what's the latest? >> good morning. the problem with the west coast is it is storm after storm that is going to pound california and oregon and washington state. you can see the next one is already making its way onshore, and we are looking at heavy rain, especially across northern california. you can see a closer look. that band of heavy rain just to the west of northern california, that's going to move onshore, and we are going to see a series of these rounds of heavier pockets of rain move in, especially this afternoon. winds will get gusty as well. we had a lot of delays yesterday because of the bad weather out in california. we will most likely see more of those today. look at some of the expected rainfall totals over the next 48 hours. we could end up with some parts of northern california, just north of redding, possibly picking up more than a foot of rainfall out of this system, and it does look like that will

continue for most of the week. lynn? >> dylan, thanks so much. and for the rest of us, it was another day of facing the fiscal cliff. white house negotiators head to capitol hill today. they're going to sit down with congressional leaders and talk about specific proposals from both sides for an agreement to avoid the fiscal cliff. nbc's tracie potts joins from us washington with those details. tracie, good morning. >> reporter: lynn, good morning. so, it may be no deal today, but perhaps moving forward on these spending cuts and tax increases that are looming at the end of the year. some very specific meetings with a handful of lawmakers who could have a huge impact on your paycheck come january 1st. . treasury secretary tim geithner and white house legislative chief rob neighbors bring the president's deficit-cutting plan to capitol hill today. >> i am very open to a fair and balanced approach to reduce our deficit. >> reporter: republicans want to know, does that approach include the government spending less money? >> we've put revenue on the

table, as long as it's accompanied by serious spending cuts. >> reporter: white house negotiators are meeting with boehner and top republicans and democrats. executives from big companies heard the plan wednesday at the white house. at least one thinks there could be a deal here. >> if i were involved in a negotiation like this and everybody was purporting to be where they are, i would say that an agreement was reachable. >> i'm hopeful, but i wouldn't put me anywhere near optimistic. >> reporter: one conservative republican is now suggesting that while negotiations continue on whether the wealthy to pay more, congress should stop tax rates from going up on the middle class now. >> we're not going to raise taxes on those people, and i think we ought to go ahead and make that abundantly clear to everybody and take it out of the negotiation. >> reporter: bottom line, no deal yet. both sides are still talking. and both sides signaling that they're willing to give up something here to get this done and get it done on time. lynn? >> all right, tracie potts for us in washington.

tracie, thanks. well, it is not how he wanted to get there, but today, former governor mitt romney heads to the white house. president obama is hosting his campaign rival at a private lunch. reporters will not be allowed in. it is the seventh time the two men have met face to face and the first time since the election. there are no details on the meeting, but in his victory speech the president said he hoped to speak to romney about how to move the country forward. well, despite another rough day of meetings with republican senators, u.n. ambassador susan rice has received a new vote of confidence from president obama and secretary of state hillary clinton. the president called rice extraordinary during a cabinet meeting that she attended. clinton led a round of applause for rice, who is considered to be the front-runner to be nominated as clinton's successor, a point clinton later touched on during a news conference. >> susan rice has done a great job as our ambassador to the united nations and, of course,

this decision about my successor is up to the president, but i'm very happy he has the opportunity with a second term to make a decision. >> but on capitol hill tennessee republican senator bob corker spoke with rice wednesday and later warned the president that the job of secretary of state is held at a higher standard than his other appointees. elsewhere, later today, "time" magazine will release a provocative exclusive. the magazine calls egyptian president mohammed morsi the most important man in the middle east. president morsi tells "time" that although he's been in office only five months, he is promising a parliament and elections in the next coming two months. today, morsi faces unprecedented strikes by the courts as well as massive protests after he granted himself near absolute power while he prepares for a nationwide address stressing unity. last night, new yorkers

celebrated the lighting of the world's most famous christmas tree. take a look. >> three, two, one. ♪ >> so beautiful. new york city mayor michael bloomberg did the honors, flipping the switch on more than 30,000 l.e.d. lights covering the 80 foot norway spruce from mount olive, new jersey. incidentally, that tree survived hurricane sandy. the rockefeller center tree tradition began in 1931 when workers building the center put up the very first one. all right, breaking news overnight. actress lindsay lohan is in trouble with the law yet again. she was arrested early this morning at a new york city nightclub, charged with assault. police say lohan hit another woman in the face during an argument at the club. the victim did notave to go to the hospital. lohan was booked at a nearby police station. of course, it was just days ago, sunday in fact, when lohan's made-for-tv movie "dick & liz" premiered to mostly bad reviews. all right, let's head back

down to the plaza because we want another look at the tree, and dylan as well. she has the rest of your weather channel forecast. good morning once again. >> forget me, it's all about the tree, and there will be tons of people down here to get a view at just that, and the weather is cooperating. you know, the whole eastern half of the country enjoying a lot of sunshine. it's just the west coast that is seeing the rain. so, for all the folks headed down to new york city today, it is looking fantastic. speaking of the west, though, we do have unseasonably cool temperatures. we are in the 40s and 50s along the west coast itself, castro, wyoming, at about 43 degrees right now. we'll see temps today warm into the 50s for most of that area, 60s, though, down into new mexico, but it is all about the rain. again, we could end up with more than a foot of rain in some areas, especially across northern california over the next 48 e down very

heavily at times through the day. and that's your latest forecast. lynn? >> all right, dylan, thanks so much. well, senator dianne feinstein says close gitmo and move the prisoners to the u.s. plus, a tornado in tuscany and the earth's water rising earlier than most predict? you're watching "early today"

well, welcome back. stories making news this morning, a new report by the government accountability office finds the controversial detention center at guantanamo bay, cuba, could be closed and the prisoners moved to the u.s. and prisons here, without harming national security. senate intelligence committee diane feinstein welcomed the report, noting that it costs more than $114 million a year to fund the facility.

in an effort to expedite funds new york city mayor michael bloomberg met with lawmakers in washington wednesday to make a personal plea for $42 billion in federal aid needed for hurricane sandy recovery. a new german study shows that sea levels are rising 60% faster than u.n. projections over the last two decades. and people in venice could be experiencing those effects. look at that. the city continues to take on floodwaters. residents and tourists were forced to use raised walkways, while some sat in half-submerged chairs outside in bars and cafes. meanwhile, a rare tornado tore through an italian city injuring around 20 workers at a steel plant. another tornado caused extensive damage in tuscany on tuesday. and michelle obama has unveiled this year's holiday decorations at the white house, which featured 54 christmas trees and a 300-pound gingerbread white house, along with a statue of first dog bo. realistic looking, too.

pretty nice. all right. over to wall street where markets saw a boost. the dow opens today at 12,985 after rising 106 points yesterday. the s&p added ten. the nasdaq gained 23. in tokyo, the nikkei was up 92 points, while in hong kong, the hang seng climbed 213. so, more data is expected today on the holiday shopping season. chain stores will release november retail sales figures today. meanwhile, a new survey shows that most adults would postpone holiday shopping until january if it could save money. and a different survey found that holiday parties are making a comeback with 83% of companies hosting an event this season. researchers have tested the foam in 100 couches and 40% contain banned toxic chemicals that can cause cancer. a recall has been ordered of a trampoline for safety reasons. it involves sports power parkside model trampolines sold only at sports authority stores

sold between april 2007 and may 2012. the philadelphia water department has been the target of a million-dollar scam after an employee allegedly ordered excess ink and toner cartridges and then sold them to a printer supply company which paid him $545,000. living social is reportedly going to layoff 400 of its u.s. workers following its big loss in the third quarter. in minnesota, "the star tribune" reports that 400 workers will soon be the new owners of joe lueken's three grocery stores, as he gives back to his loyal employees instead of selling the business. and marissa mayer, the 37-year-old ceo of yahoo, paraphrases football coach vince lombardi, saying her priorities are god, family and yahoo, in that order. well, stupid criminals caught on tape. you are going to want to see this one. plus, rock memorabilia, including john lennon's last autograph and those gold wire rim glasses. those are all up for grabs. details are next. you're watching "early today."

some other stories making news early today in america. two men suspected of trying to break into a detroit business got stuck on the building's roof and had to be rescued by firefighters. a passerby who saw the suspicious duo alerted police who were then there to arrest them once they reached the ground. it took three thieves about

13 seconds to make off with around $19,000 worth of watches from a macy's in garland, texas, earlier this month. surveillance video shows the men running off with counter display cases. police are now searching for the suspects. memorabilia from some of rock and roll's biggest legends are up for grabs in an auction in new york city. items include john lennon's famous gold wire rim glasses, the guitar used by elvis presley during his final las vegas performance, and a jacket worn by michael jackson during his first meeting with nelson mandela. and talk about an inspiring story here. football players at the california school for the deaf have clinched the team's first league championship in a decade, proving they are a force to be reckoned with. the 19 players and coach are all deaf and they communicate via sign language and large, color-coded signs. just remarkable. in other sports news, we're going to start with the nba, celtics/net. and just before the half in boston, a hard foul leads to a

ten-player fight and three players are ejected from the game. in the second half, brooklyn pulled away and finished with a 95-83 win. in college basketball, number two ranked duke makes a comeback against number four ohio state, taking the lead late in the second half. the blue devils beat the buckeyes 73-68. in miami, the miami hurricane's outside shooters were hot and they upset number 13 michigan state 67-59, as the fans stormed on to the court to celebrate. and the new ballot is out for baseball's hall of fame. superstars barry bonds, roger clemens and sammy sosa are on it for the first time, but they may not get the votes required because of allegations of steroids use. so others on the ballot who may get in, craig biggio, mike piazza, and curt schilling. well, just ahead, could uncle charlie come to the rescue of the half man? plus, a missing dog story for the ages. and here, once again, are

those winning powerball numbers for you. 5, 16, 22, 23, 29, and the powerball of 6. if you live in arizona or missouri, pull out those tickets. you're watching "early today."

good morning and welcome back. it is christmas time in new york city. the rockefeller christmas tree lit up nice and bright. temperatures on the east coast little chilly, but out west, it's not so much the temperatures, it's more so the

rain. we could see up to a foot of rainfall across portions of northern california. we are looking for temperatures to start off in the 40s and 50s and basically stay in the 50s as we go into this afternoon, but that rain is going to stick around for several days. and again, 12 inches of rain is not out of the question in northern california. lynn? >> unbelievable. dylan, thanks so much. well, this just is not a good week for "two and a half men" star angus t. jones. after saying he doesn't want to be on the show anymore, it looks like he may get his wish. "e" news is reporting jones will exit the show after the conclusion of season ten. jones is reportedly shocked by the media frenzy saying he's never been the one to get attention. this guy usually does. charlie sheen is looking out for his one-time co-star, saying "my former nephew is welcome at anger management any time." well, ben affleck is having one heck of a year. "entertainment weekly" has named ben affleck their 2012 entertainer of the year. the "argo" director has come a long way since gillette with

george clooney saying hollywood loves a comeback and affleck is an unbelievable comeback kid. that's for sure. and finally, do you remember this? national.com has released their 2012 list of the most memorable internet moments, and some of the top ones were election-related, like this one, clint eastwood's infamous invisible obama speech, and mitt romney's big bird remarks. but the top spot? you remember this one. it went to olympian mckayla maroney's way-too-honest, not-impressed face. yep, that will leave a mark. >> i'm trying to make that face, but you can't. >> it's too cold. you would freeze. >> it would freeze that way. well, this comes to us from wmtv, nbc 15 in madison, wisconsin, where a dog and his family were reunited after years apart. lucky the dog ran away from home four years ago, leaving his family with little hope of ever seeing the little pooch again, but as luck would have it, lucky recently showed up on tv as the humane society's pet of the week, and it shocked the owners. calls were made, and eventually,

lucky and his family were back together again after four long years. what are the chances of that? i'm lynn berry and this is "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station.

in new jersey, it was a homecoming over half a century in the making. a military jacket found among the wreckage of hurricane sandy has made its way back into the right hands. the widow of a world war ii cadet was contacted about the coat following a search from

west point, though she didn't know the jacket existed for more than 60 years. she says her husband would have been astonished and very touched. well, one designer in japan has taken the robot craze to new heights. a 4-ton, 13-foot-tall robot is officially up for sale. and it will only set you back about a million bucks. the machine operates through a handheld controller and can move up to 6.2 miles an hour. the creator said he wanted to build a rideable robots just like the ones he saw in movies as a child. looks a little bit more futuristic than that. and finally, in peru, one deejay has finally achieved superiority. a 97-year-old radio broadcaster has earned her place in the guinness world records as the longest running radio personality. she first signed on 68 years ago moving from song announcer to hosting her own program. even with some physical limitations, it hasn't slowed her down. she now broadcasts from a telephone in her own home. who knew it was that easy, dylan? >> right?

>> we can't phone it in like that? >> it's like 65 years ago, i could have done this on the phone the whole time? >> exactly! what have i been doing? well, it's time for now for an early look at some of the stories we'll follow throughout the day here on nbc. the palestinian authority is expected on the no-veto state. there are no vetoes in the 193 member general assembly making the resolution a virtual certainty. and the president will meet with nobel prize winners in the oval office. and we learned of a tragic death. >> actress natalie wood was discovered dead today, her body fully clothed off san catalina island. officials confirm she drowned, but nothing further on the circumstances. and you can stay up to date on those stories and others as they break on msnbc. and tonight, be sure to watch "nbc nightly news" with brain williams. and finally, a look at what's coming up on the "today" show.

actor paul rudd talks about his leap from the big screen to broadway stage in his latest project. and rock and roll legend rod stewart performs a new song from his first ever christmas album. now, keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one.

we are following breaking news out of downtown palo alto where police tell us that a woman woke up to find a man inside her home. we'll have all the latest details coming up. also apple moving into